A composition for coating paper includes at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of polymeric pigments, aluminosilicates, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, talc, barium sulfate, zinc oxide, aluminum trihydrate, amorphous silica and silicates; wherein the pigment is dispersed in an aqueous dispersion of a polymeric binder that is a copolymer of vinyl acetate, ethylene, at least one ethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acid or salt thereof and optionally one or more other monomers, wherein vinyl acetate units constitute in a range of 70-90 wt% of the polymeric binder and ethylene units constitute in a range of 10-30 wt% of the polymeric binder; and wherein the polymeric binder has a mean particle size in a range from 0.1 [mu]m to 0.3 [mu]m and the optional one or more other monomers do not include any N-(C1-4) alkylol (meth)acrylamide; and wherein the aqueous dispersion of the polymeric binder is free of alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants and includes a nonionic surfactant component consisting of a polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide block copolymer and optionally one or more other nonionic surfactants, and optionally includes an anionic surfactant component consisting of one or more anionic surfactants.